At Lake Gardner: Strategy, planning trump pure speed in Canoe-O

Can you canoe? Paddlers of all abilities are welcome to participate in the Lake Gardner Canoe-O. Sponsored by the Lake Gardner Improvement Association, the event is Amesbury’s first canoe, kayak and SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard) orienteering adventure race, and it promises to be a fun time for all.

Paddlers of all abilities are welcome to participate in the Lake Gardner Canoe-O. Sponsored by the Lake Gardner Improvement Association, the event is Amesbury’s first canoe, kayak and SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard) orienteering adventure race, and it promises to be a fun time for all.

Canoe orienteering (“Canoe-O”) is a version of orienteering done using a canoe or kayak. One- or two-person boats start at staggered intervals, and are timed as they navigate a series of control points shown on a map. The map is a secret revealed at start time. Some control points will be accessible by water (wet control points) and others by land (dry control points). The shortest time to complete the course wins.

A member of the New England Canoe and Kayak Racing Association, Burke has designed three courses for the Lake Gardner Canoe-O. The short course is for families and those new to orienteering and canoe/kayak racing; the medium course is for people who are used to paddling, but are not experienced racers; and the long course is for more experienced canoe/kayak orienteers and marathon paddlers. There will be wet and dry control points on all three courses.

“I designed the short course for people with modest paddling abilities to complete under an hour,” Burke said. “The medium course should take about an hour-and-a-half, and experienced people on the long course can probably do it in an hour-15 minutes.”

The Lake Gardner Canoe-O is an official NECKRA flatwater (as opposed to whitewater or ocean) point series event, and NECKRA members can earn championship points.

It will be held on Saturday, July 20, at Lake Gardner Beach, off High Street. A pre-race canoe orienteering clinic taught by Burke and his wife, Monica Schnitger, will be held at 9 a.m.

“We expect people to know how to paddle,” Burke said. “We’ll teach you about canoe orienteering and how to design the course as you go. There are a set of locations you have to go to and you must figure out how to do it, the best way for you. No map or compass experience is necessary.”

Each course will have wet control locations that are accessible from the boat and a few dry control locations where participants must get out of the boat. The short course will have five or six controls, the medium course 10 or 11 controls, and the long course 15 controls. The short and medium courses will stay on Lake Gardner, but the long course will go up the Powow River, too.

“At the clinic we’ll help people understand the strategy,” Burke said, “which route to pick. That’s what makes the puzzle interesting. You look at the map and assessing your strengths, you pick your route. Which participant is a better runner? Which participant is a better paddler? Is it windy?”

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Participants can enter the Canoe-O in different categories: solo or double; canoe, kayak or SUP; short, medium or long course. Winners will be announced in each category.

Safety regulations mandate that all youths 17 and under must be accompanied by an adult, no inflatable boats will be allowed and youths must wear life jackets. In addition, the Amesbury Fire Department will have the rescue boat available and spotters will be along the course with cell phones.

“The point is to get people to appreciate the lake with the hope they will work on protecting it,” said LGIA member Bruce Georgian. In the past LGIA has sponsored the Milk Jug Derby and canoe races on the lake, but this year the group decided to try something different - a Canoe-O, a sport he and his wife, Bernadette Lucas, had enjoyed.

“Part of the satisfaction (of sponsoring an event on Lake Gardner) is that every year someone discovers not only the lake, but a passion for racing or paddling,” Georgian said. “It also brings people to town. They discover Amesbury.”

“I live in Andover and didn’t know Lake Gardner was here until the LGIA canoe race,” Burke said. “Now my wife and I come up here to practice. It’s a lovely spot. There’s wildlife. We’ve seen muskrats, great blue heron, beaver, osprey -- all sorts of birds.

“We’ve discovered the (LGIA) trails as well and the open space at Battis Farm. I think it’s wonderful to see the commitment Amesbury has made to open space. If you are out here enjoying it, you care about what happens to it.”

Registration will be held on Lake Gardner Beach from 9:45 to 11:30 a.m. The cost is $15 for adults, $10 for current NECKRA members and $5 for ages 17 and under. The fee includes the 9 a.m. pre-race clinic. Starting times, which will be assigned at registration, will be staggered from 10 a.m. to noon.

The Canoe-O is not a fundraiser. Proceeds from the registration fees will go towards the cost of insurance and printing maps.

“Stay afterwards, bring a lunch and have it on the beach, swim, relax,” Burke said. “Come and watch. It’s a heck of a lot of fun.”